a question about packing for the dorm?

Question

i've been in college 4 yrs now but never lived in a dorm.
my friend is just going to college and i'm helping her shop/pack for the dorm.
can anyone provide a list of useful stuff?
maybe stuff you found out later you really needed.
btw, she doesn't have a mall near the campus (it's about an hr drive) so she really can't just get the stuff when she moves.
thanks!

Answer 1

First of all, you need to know what regulations govern decorating your friend's dorm room and just how much square feet (or meters) of living and closet space it has. This will determine how much "stuff" she can bring from home. She may also want to talk to her roommate(s) in case they want to coordinate bedspread, or duvet, and towel, washcloth, and curtain colors.

Traditionally, most dorm rooms come equipped with two or three twin beds, which may be built attached to the wall, stacked as bunk beds, or may be moveable. Some dorms have extra-long beds, so you might check about this before buying fitted sheets. She will need to furnish her own duvet, or comforter, blanket, and pillow. Sometimes an optional laundry service is available on a semester basis that furnishes appropriatedly-sized white sheets once a week. Many students also like to have a study pillow or a lap desk for writing or reading in bed. Usually, there is a single window between the beds, so you may need some cafe curtains with a tension rod.

A small area rug for that linoneum-tile floor between the beds is also a warm idea that she will appreciate during cold winter months. If there is space, she may also want to have a small Hollywood-director's style, rocking, or bean bag chair. I've even known of students who have furnished their dorm room with a cast-off sofa after they have turned their twin beds into bunk beds.

Unless she lives in a newer, apartment style dorm, she may have very limited closet space, so she may need to buy some organizers to stretch it as much as possible. Most dorms prohibit residents from hammering nails into the wall, so again check with the dorm's regulations.

Of course, many students stick posters to the wall, so she might check some Internet sites to get a poster or two that really fits her personality. After her freshman year, she probably won't be that interested in decorating her dorm room in her university's colors and will be more interested in things that will easily work as well in an off-campus apartment.

Many dorms also don't have an en-suite bathroom, so she may need something to carry her soap and shampoo to the shower--not to mention a robe. If her room doesn't have an attached bath, it will probably have a small sink and mirror. Again, she will most probably have a very limited space on which to place hair dryers, curling irons, and the like. Make sure she has some heavy-duty extension cords, and don't forget a waste-paper basket with a lid.

She will also probably have a small single drawer desk and wiring for computer access with enough space to also place an alarm clock and a phone. The printer will need to go on the floor underneath the desk. [Check to see if the dorm furnishes the actual phone itself or only the jack.] There may be a shelf or two above the desk and perhaps a flourescent lamp (about enough space for a semester's worth of books and a dictionary). Most dorm rooms don't provide a lot of light (both natural and electric), so a small study lamp or even a floor lamp would be most useful. Besides a desk top or lap top computer/printer (don't forget heavy-duty extension cords and a surge protector), she may want to bring a small television, a DVD player, and a mini refrigerator and/or microwave. Before doing so, however, she may need to find out if her dorm allows these appliances (most particularly the microwave and refrigerator). If a little refrigerator and/or a microwave are prohibited, she may need to make do with a hot plate. Incidentally, this is where enough boards and concrete blocks to make a make-shift bookcase come in handy.

She'll also need to store laundry detergent and a laundry bag as well as a limited amount of cleaning supplies. Most dorms furnish ironing boards in the laundry room down the hall as well as mops and brooms, and there is usually a communal t. v. in the student lounge. She won't be watching that much television anyway. Living in a dorm room is a lesson in less is more!

Answer 2

twin/twin xl bed spread, comforter /sheets/pillows
a lamp
hampers
clothes hangers
towels/ wash clothes
storage containers
alram clock
decorative things/ pictures/posters
tv
mini fridge/microwave
a calenda
iron/ironing board
mini garbage can
air freshner
school supplies-bring ur own stapler and tape...that always comes in handy
computer/printer
cooking utensils
bathroom supplies
surge protectors
cleaning supplies

these are all the basics anything else would be over doing it...unless you have a really big space....
my first year i brought alot of stuff that i ended not using or needing and i had to take all of it back home on top of all the other stuff....

shell be fine....try goin to bed bath and beyond..they have a list of everything u will need and more....and they have great deals...

bedbathandbeyond.com
target is also really cheap....
hopes this helps and good luck!